NOVEL NEXT Chapter 8:
Chapter 8:
“What kind of opportunity?”
Qi Xuan was immediately on guard. He had a strong feeling that this rich second-gen was up to no good.
“I see that everyone respects you. You must be quite skilled at antique appraisal, right?” Lin Chuan asked with a smile.
“It’s alright,” Qi Xuan replied casually, though his expression was full of pride.
That wasn’t the look of someone saying “It’s alright.” It was the look of someone thinking “I’m the best in the world.”
Lin Chuan simply smiled and got straight to the point. “Then why don’t we have a competition?”
“A competition? About what?” Qi Xuan was instantly intrigued.
“What else? Since we’re in the antique market, of course, we’re competing in antique appraisal,” Lin Chuan said, looking at him with undisguised contempt, as if the question itself was stupid.
“You’re saying… you want to compete with me in antique appraisal?”
Qi Xuan looked at him as if he had just heard the most ridiculous joke in history, his voice raising an octave.
“Hahaha!”
The surrounding spectators burst into laughter at Lin Chuan’s words.
“Does this guy even know what he’s saying? He actually wants to compete with Master Qi in antique appraisal? Did I hear that right?”
“This Young Master Lin really has no brains. Competing with Master Qi in antiques is like challenging Guan Yu to a duel with a broadsword!”
“This is the funniest joke I’ve heard all year! A rich playboy daring to challenge a master in antique appraisal?”
“Haha, I can’t hold it in—I need a moment to laugh!”
If Lin Chuan had proposed a contest in who’s more handsome or who has more money, he might have stood a chance.
But in antique appraisal? He was just asking to be humiliated.
Even Ning Wenrou couldn’t understand Lin Chuan’s thought process.
It was obvious that Qi Xuan had great prestige in the antique market. His skills must be top-tier.
How could Lin Chuan not see that?
Yet he still dared to provoke him outright?
Wasn’t this just offering up his own face to be slapped?
What was he even thinking?
But despite the mockery from the crowd, Lin Chuan remained calm.
“Of course, if you’re too scared, we can just forget about it.”
“Me? Scared?” Qi Xuan was instantly angered by those words. “What a joke!”
“I just don’t want people to say I’m bullying you. After all, I’m a professional in the field, and you’re just an amateur. Even if I win, it’s not something to be proud of.”
Lin Chuan nodded in agreement. “That’s true. Beating me wouldn’t be impressive at all. But losing to me? Now that would be utterly humiliating.”
“Lose? To you?” Qi Xuan was so angry he laughed. He had seen stupid people before, but never one this stupid.
“If you’re so confident, then why not compete with me?”
“Who said I wouldn’t?”
“Then let’s do it!”
“Fine! Today, I’ll teach you a lesson and show you who’s truly the frog at the bottom of the well!”
Forced into a corner by Lin Chuan’s provocations, Qi Xuan finally agreed to the challenge. “Alright, tell me the rules!”
Seeing him agree so readily, Lin Chuan’s lips curved slightly.
“First, tell me what you’re best at.”
“Hmph, calligraphy, porcelain, and jade. I know them all,” Qi Xuan said proudly, lifting his chin.
And he had every right to be proud.
Most antique appraisers specialized in only one field.
But he was skilled in all three, making him an undeniable prodigy.
Lin Chuan nodded slightly. “Good, then let’s compete in those three categories. Each of us will select three antiques from the market, and whoever earns the highest profit margin wins. The time limit is thirty minutes, and it’s best of three. Do you have any objections?”
“Thirty minutes? I only need ten.” Qi Xuan smugly reduced his own time limit before asking, “Now, let’s talk about the stakes.”
“The winner takes all,” Lin Chuan declared. “In other words, all six antiques go to the winner, while the loser pays for everything. Also, the loser must apologize and loudly shout ten times: ‘I am incompetent and a complete idiot.’ How’s that?”
Lin Chuan raised his eyebrows provocatively.
“This was your idea,” Qi Xuan grinned, clearly delighted by the terms. But he was still a little wary. “But what if you lose and refuse to accept the result?”
After all, Lin Chuan was a super-rich heir. If he refused to acknowledge his loss, Qi Xuan would have no way to force him to pay up.
Lin Chuan immediately pulled out the Bentley car keys from his pocket.
“If you don’t trust me, we can find a respected elder to oversee the competition. I’ll leave my car keys with them. If I go back on my word, the Bentley is yours.”
“Good! Wait right here!”
Qi Xuan eagerly pulled out his phone and contacted someone to be the judge.
Not long after, a white-haired elder arrived.
The surrounding crowd gasped in surprise.
“Master Fang is here?”
“They even brought Master Fang into this? This is serious now!”
“Qi Xuan really has connections. Even Master Fang came at his request!”
“Good day, Master Fang!”
The elderly man looked to be in his seventies, but he was still full of energy.
He examined Lin Chuan for a moment before turning to Qi Xuan. “Qi, what’s going on?”
“This brat challenged me—” Qi Xuan dramatically exaggerated the story, making himself sound like the victim who was forced to accept the challenge.
Of course, he blamed everything on Lin Chuan, making himself out to be a helpless professional who had no choice but to defend his honor.
Lin Chuan didn’t interrupt and simply let him talk.
Once Qi Xuan finished, he turned back to Lin Chuan and introduced the old man.
“This is Master Fang Shijing, the chief appraiser of Shengding Pavilion. He is famous throughout the antique market. Master Fang is known for his integrity, and no one would dare question his fairness. If you don’t believe me, just ask anyone here.”
The spectators nodded in agreement.
“Master Fang is someone you can trust. He has never shown favoritism.”
“If it were anyone else, I wouldn’t vouch for them. But for Master Fang? I’d stake my reputation on his fairness!”
“Master Fang has judged multiple Antique Appraisal Tournaments and is famous for being unbiased. With him here, there’s no chance of foul play.”
“We all trust Master Fang!”
It was clear that Master Fang Shijing had a stellar reputation in the antique community. Not a single person objected.
Lin Chuan was indifferent. “Since everyone trusts Master Fang, I have no objections.”
Saying that, he handed over the Bentley keys to Fang Shijing.
Fang Shijing accepted them and then, in a calm but serious tone, advised Lin Chuan.
“Young man, I suggest you reconsider.”
“Qi Xuan is one of the most skilled appraisers of the younger generation. Competing against him will put you at a great disadvantage.”
His words were carefully chosen—he didn’t say “you’re overestimating yourself”, but rather “it will be difficult for you.”
He was still trying to save Lin Chuan’s dignity.
But Lin Chuan smirked.
“A prodigy, huh? That’s exactly the kind of person I want to defeat. If he weren’t top-tier, he wouldn’t even be worth my time.”
His arrogance was boundless.
Fang Shijing shook his head and chuckled bitterly. He didn’t try to dissuade him anymore.